Theater chair with automatic tip-up seat



Aug. 26, 1952 LARSEN ET AL 2,608,238

. THEATER CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC TIP-UP SEAT I Filed March 16, 1948 Y 2 SHEETS-4-SHEET '1 Aug. 26, 1952 L. LARSEN ET AL 2,608,238

THEATER CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC TIP-UP SEAT Filed March 16, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 51 v 6 1 7 4 i3 50 35 X I E} z. 3g

Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES THEATER CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC TIP-UP SEAT Lewis Larsen and Joseph Eckert, Menominee,

Mich., assignors to Heywood-Wakefield Company, Gardner, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 16, 1948, Serial No. 15,154

. Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in theatre chairs and it consists .of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. The invention is more particularly concerned with the mounting of the seat of the chair upon associated standards and with structure embodied in the seat, which automatically swings it from its in use position into an out of use position when the occupant rises from the seat.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in a theatre chair a simple and improved arrangement of parts whereby the seat may be readily and removably applied to the standards without the use or manipulation of screws or similar fastening devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide in such a chair an improved seat structure which optionally may be fixed in its position of use for occupancy or may be caused to function as a seat that automatically raises or swings into an out of use position as soon as the occupant rises therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a theatre chair an improved structure which is concealed within the seat for raising it into its out of use position and in which no parts are exposed either to view or in such a position as to snag the clothing or hosiery of the occupant.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others, together withthe advantages thereof, will more fully appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a theatre chair embodying the preferred form of the invention and shows the seat disposed in its raised or out of use position. Fig. 2 is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the seat of the chair on a scale larger than that of Fig. 1 when the seat is in its in use position, as when occupied.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the pan-like bottom for the seat, on the scale and when in the in use position of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail vertical sectional views through parts of the seat bottom as taken on the lines 44 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 3 and on a scale enlarged thereover.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of a pair of seat supporting members embodied in the improved chair, on the scale of Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is shown in perspective a theatre chair 2 comprising laterally spaced, upright side standards Ill, ID, a backrest ll disposed between and operatively secured to the upper rear portions of said standards, and a seat, indicated as a whole at [2, disposed between said standards IIJIJ in front of the back rest ll.

The seat l2 primarily comprises a rigid bottom supportingstructure I3 and an upholstery unit l4 mounted thereon and best appearing in Fig. 2. The bottom supporting structure is preferably in the form of a generally rectangularly shaped, shallow open top pan made from a piece of sheet metal formed to provide a bottom wall l5, upright front and rear flanges l6 and I1 and upright side flanges l8-I 8, as best appears in' Figs. 2 and 3. i

Toward the rear end ofeach side flange I8 is located an angle bar I9, the upright side flange 20 of which is engaged with said flange I8, with the top edge of said flange 20 disposed below the top edge of the flange It! with which it is engaged. The horizontal flange 2| of each angle bar engages upon and is spot welded to a raised rib 22 on the bottom I5 and which best appears in Figs. 4 and 5.

Extending transversely. across the rear portion of the seat bottom is a rigidifying brace 23 in the form of a metal tube that is welded at its ends to the side flanges of the bottom. At the front of the bottom are angle clips 24, that have their top faces disposed substantially in the plane of the top edges of the flanges 20 of the angle bars lS-IS.

Rearwardly of these clips a bar 25 is welded to the bottom wall [5 to stiiTen the same. If desired, headings (not shown) and extending from front to rear of the bottom wall l5 may be provided to further stifien this wall and to add a decorative efiect to the same.

A hearing strap 26 is engaged on the horizontal flange of each angle, bar [9, forwardly of the brace 23. This strap is formed at its rear end with a bearing loop 21 and is formed at its front end with an upstanding projection 28. Screws 29- 29 carried by the angle bar flange 2| passup through the strap to either side of the bearing strap and associated therewith are nuts 30-30 (see Fig. 2) to operatively secure said straps in place.

Associated with each strap 25 is an axis member 3|, which best appears in Fig. 6. This member includes a horizontal axis portion 32 having a depending vertical arm 33 at its outer end and an angularly disposed arm 34 at its inner end. Each arm 33 tapers in diameter toward its bottom end and the arm 34 has a transverse opening therein. The purpose of this taper and said opening will presently appear.

When the axis members 3I-3l are assembled in place on the bottom, the axis portions 32 of each one thereof extends through a bearing loop 21 of an associated strap '26 and also through an aligned opening in the angle bar flange 20 and flange I8 of the bottom, as best appears in Fig. 4. Thus the axis portion of each member 3| is journalled in the bearing loop and its arm 33 is disposed outwardly of the flange l8 and its arm 34 is disposed inwardly of the associated strap as best appears in Fig. 3. Preferably strips 36 of friction fibre (see Fig. 2) are disposed between each axis portion and associated loop 21 and flange 2|. Said strips function to avoid a metal to metal contact of the associated parts and therefore eliminate noise so that the seats are noiseless in their swinging movement from K an in use to an out of use position.

The outer and tapered arms 33 of the members 3| are adapted to be entered into a companion tapered socket of retaining clips 31 on the inner side of associated standards I0-|3 therefrom. Front and rear springs 39-39a are disposed upon the rod 38, with one spring 39 sup ported on that portion of the rod forwardly of the projection 28 and engaged therewith and with adjusting nuts 40 on the front extremity of said rod. The other spring 39a is supported on that portion of the rod between said projection and the arm 34 and the rear end of said other spring engages against a shoulder provided on the rear end of said rod adjacent its connection with said arm 34, as best appears in Figs. 2 and 4. The springs 39, which are compression springs are heavier and more powerful than the springs 39a and function to swing the seat as a whole in a three-quarter, raised, out of use position, as shown in Fig. l and wherein the front bottom corner of the seat as a whole is disposed within the vertical plane of the standards to afford ample passing space forwardly of the chair as a whole.

To occupy the seat, a person sits on the exposed front portion of the seat and rides the same down to its in use position and in which it is stopped by reason of the engagement of the arms 34 of both members 3| with suitable noiseless bumper pads 4| carried by the brace 23 and which appear in Figs. 2 and 3.

When the occupant rises from the seat to permit the passage of another person in front of the seat, the seat automatically swings into the out of use position through the action of the springs 39, the springs 39a then serving as cushion springs. When the occupant is in a standing position, a slight backward movement by the occupant will cause the seat to swing beyond its three-quarters raised position to afford more I passage space at the front of the chair. In this further movement of the seat, the springs 39a are compressed and as the occupant moves forwardly again preparatory to again occupying the seat, the springs 39a function to return the seat 4 to said three quarters raised position, at which time the occupant again rides the seat back into its in use position.

The upholstered unit l4 of the seat includes a bottom border frame 42 for supporting the coned upholstery springs 43, the upper border frame 44 and the cushion material 45 and usual cover boxing 46, which best appear in Fig. 2. The bottom border frame is so made and formed with respect to the bottom as to fit snugly into the open top of the same with the front of the lower border frame engaged on the clips 24 and with the sides of the frame engaged upon the upper edges of the flanges 20 of the angle bars [9 along each side flange l8 of the seat bottom.

If it is desired to eliminate the self rising feature of the seat, this can be readily accomplished by removing the nuts 40 and springs 39 and then tightening up the nuts 30 on the bolts 29 to cause the bearing loop 21 of each strap 26 to rigidly clamp the axis portion 32 of the member 3| disposed therein to hold the same against movement.

While in describing the invention we have referred in detail to the form, construction and arrangement of the parts involved therein, the same is to be considered only in the illustrative sense and therefore we do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A theatre chair construction embodying therein laterally spaced standards and a seat disposed therebetween and including a supporting bottom, a horizontally disposed axis member operatively attached to and extending inwardly from each standard and upon which member said bottom is journalled at its sides for a swinging movement from an in use to an out of use position and vice versa for the seat, an arm on each axis member between the sides of said bottom, a member spaced from each arm and fixed to the bottom, a rod operatively connected at one end to an associated arm and having a sliding engagement in said last mentioned member, spring means carried by each rod and engaged with said last mentioned member, said spring means being operative to swing said bottom structure into the out of use position for the seat and to cushion the swinging movement of the bottom structure into the position of use for the seat, and means carried by said bottom structure for engagement with said arms and forming a stop for said bottom structure in said position of use for the seat, as when occupied.

2. A theatre chair construction embodying therein laterally spaced standards and a seat therebetween including a bottom, a horizontal axis member attached to and extending inwardly from each standard, at least one of said members terminating as an upwardly and rearwardly directed arm spaced inwardly from the associated lateral margin of said bottom, means carried by each of said lateral margins of said bottom providing a bearing in which an associated axis member is journalled for a pivoted movement of the seat between its lowered inuse position and its raised out-of-use position, a rod pivotally connected to an associated arm and extending forwardly therefrom, a guide fixed to one lateral margin of said bottom forwardly of an associated axis member and through which a portion of an associated rod has sliding engagement, an abutment on the forward end of said rod, a spring surrounding said rod between said guide and abutment and normally acting to swing the seat about said axis members into said raised out-of-use position, and means carried by said bottom for engagement with said arm of at least one of said axes mem bers for limiting the movement of said seat when swung toward its lowered in-use position.

3. A theatre chair construction embodying therein laterally spaced standards and a seat therebetween including a bottom, a horizontal axis member attached to and extending inwardly from each standard, at least one of said members terminating as an upwardly and rearwardly directed arm spaced inwardly from the associated lateral margin of said bottom, means carried by each of said lateral margins of said bottom providing a bearing in which an associated axis member is journalled for a pivoted movement of the seat between its lowered inuse position and its raised out-of-use position, a rod pivotally connected to an associated arm and extending forwardly therefrom, a guide fixed to one lateral margin of said bottom forwardly of an associated axis member and through which a portion of an associated rod has sliding engagement, an abutment on the forward end of said rod, a spring surrounding said rod between said guide and abutment and normally acting to swing the seat about said axis members into said raised out-of-use position, a second spring surrounding said rod between said guide and said arm and normally acting to cushion the swing of the seat toward said raised out-of-use position, and means carried by said bottom member for engagement with said arm of at least one of said axes members for limiting the movement of said seat when swung toward its lowered in-use position.

4. A theatre chair construction embodying therein laterally spaced standards and a seat therebetween including a bottom, a stiifening member fixed to each lateral margin of said bottom, means on the upper surface of each stiffener member coacting therewith in forming a bearing thereon, a horizontal axis member attached to and extending inwardly from each standard and journalled in an associated hearing for a pivoted movement of the seat between its lowered in-use position and its raised outof-use position, each axis member terminating in an upwardly and rearwardly directed arm disposed inwardly of the associated bearing, a guide fixed to each stiffener member forward- 1y of said means on-the upper surface of the same stiffener member, a rod pivotally connected at the rear end to an associated arm and ex- 6 tending forwardly therefrom through and forwardly of an associated guide, an abutment on the forward end of the rod, a spring surrounding each rod between the associated guide and abutment member and normally acting to swing the seat about said axis member into said raised out-of-use position, and means carried by said bottom for engagement by said arms of said axes members for limiting the movement of said seat when swung toward its lowered in-use position.

5. A theatre chair construction embodying therein laterally spaced standards and a seat therebetween including a bottom with upright sides, a horizontal axis member attached to and extending inwardly from each standard and through the adjacent side of the bottom and terminating as an upwardly and rearwardly directed arm spaced inwardly from the associated side of the bottom, a bearing carried by said bottom adjacent each side thereof and in which an associated axis member is journalled for a pivoted movement of the seat between its lowered in-use position and its raised out-of-use position, a rod pivotally connected to an associated arm and extending forwardly therefrom, a guide on said bottom forwardly of each axis member and through which a portion of an associated rod has sliding engagement, spring means carried by each rod and normally acting to swing the seat about said axis members into its raised out-of-use position, and a bar extending transversely of the bottom to the rear of said axis members and fixed at its ends to the upright sides thereof and adapted for engagement by said arms of said axis members for limiting the movement of the seat when swung toward its lowered in-use position.

LEWIS LARSEN. JOSEPH ECKERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 188,186 Pullinger Mar. 6, 1877 632,850 Robinson Sept. 12, 1899 646,470 Smallwood Apr. 3, 1900 787,337 Lazarus Apr. 11, 1905 2,136,058 Peppas Nov. 8, 1938 2,272,298 Hanson Feb. 10, 1942 2,347,931 -B-romagen May 2, 1944 

